Student Life: Work while you study
- Written byJ Igiri
- Published date 06 September 2021
Did you know UAL has an internal recruitment agency that can help you find work while you study – whether you’re looking for something remote or on site? We spoke with Aidan, a member of the Arts Temps team, to find out all the important details.
What is Arts Temps?
Arts Temps has been running for about 10 years within the university. We are a recruitment agency – we assist students to find work within UAL as well as with external clients. There's currently about 8000 students and alumni on our books. We work collaboratively with the university to help find students to work across short-term and long-term contracts.
Any student or alumni of UAL can sign up – there's no time limit at all. Even if you studied ten years ago, you can still apply to join us.
What sort of roles do you offer?
We recruit for a wide variety of temporary creative roles within the university, including graphic designers, make-up artists, actors, DJs, photographers, multimedia editors, voice over artists and communications staff.
We also recruit for non-creative roles such as accommodation staff, bar staff, event staff, researchers, administrative support, and customer service with a variety of start-ups and well-known brands.
Additionally, we recruit for permanent roles with external clients that are suitable for once you graduate.
Why should students register with Arts Temps?
All the roles that we advertise pay at least the London Living Wage, £10.85 an hour, so it’s a chance to earn some good money as well as some good experience.
As an ex-student myself I didn't have an opportunity such as Arts Temps when I went to university and the lack of experience on my CV during my time at university really stopped me from shining as much as I could. Alumni are applying for roles in a busy graduate market – there's lots of competition, so you really want to make sure you can stand out.
There’s a huge range of ways we can support you and we're always available during the working week for any kind of query. We will always endeavour to help you as much as we can.
How do temps get paid?
Arts Temps offers weekly pay through a timesheet system that runs from Sunday to Saturday. You need to submit your hours and ask your manager to authorise your timesheet by 2PM every Monday to get paid that Friday.
What advice would you give for students who are working around their studies?
Make sure that you focus on your studies when you're looking for part-time work and always try to do something that is flexible. Your studies are probably the most important aspect of your career, but it is helpful to get some extracurricular activity on your CV and it looks really good for employers if you've been working in a studio, doing photography, or other things related to your degree at the same time. It can bulk up your CV and help you stand out from the crowd when you graduate, as well as giving you some valuable real-world work experience.
I would advise to apply for as many jobs as you can that you think are relevant to you. Any experience you get while being a student is good experience!
- LCF's Big Welcome
- Check out the Arts Temps website for FAQs and register with your CV/Portfolio.
- Follow Arts Temps on LinkedIn and Instagram.